The present technique relates generally to the field of computer systems and, more specifically, to a keyboard having a track ball mechanism and a scroll mechanism.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention that are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Keyboards have been used by people to input information into machines for hundreds of years. Keyboards first gained wide public recognition in the United States around 1867 when three inventors from Milwaukee, Wis. designed the first practical typewriter. The typewriter included a keyboard to enable a user to cause the typewriter to produce letters, numbers, and punctuation on a page of paper. As the design of typewriters progressed, the keys of the keyboard where soon laid out in a configuration that has now become standard and often referred to as the xe2x80x9cQWERTYxe2x80x9d configuration. This standard keyboard configuration remained the same for the next one hundred years, and it is still in use today.
With the advent of computer systems, however, this standard keyboard configuration has been supplemented. This supplementation has occurred because of the additional features that computer systems provide in comparison to traditional typewriters. Keystrokes on a computer are not transferred to a page of paper immediately as they are on a typewriter. Instead, each keystroke causes the computer to perform a specific function. In a word processing application, for example, many keystrokes are simply transferred directly to the computer""s screen in a manner similar to that of a typewriter. However, many other keystrokes cause the computer to perform a variety of other functions, such as insertion, deletion, file saving, formatting, etc. To perform these additional functions without substantially enlarging the size of the standard keyboard or adding many extra keys, computer keyboards have been provided with various xe2x80x9cfunctionxe2x80x9d keys that may perform a variety of functions depending upon the application being executed by the computer. Computer keyboards have also been provided with a xe2x80x9cCTRLxe2x80x9d key and an xe2x80x9cALTxe2x80x9d key, which can be used in conjunction with many of the other keys to perform alternate functions.
In addition to performing these types of alternate functions, many applications require some means for allowing the user to navigate on the screen. For example, in applications where the information cannot be displayed on a single screen, it is advantageous for a user to be able to scroll from one screen to the next. Also, many applications use a xe2x80x9cposition bar,xe2x80x9d which is typically a flashing line or box, so that the user can determine the location where keystrokes will appear on screen. The keyboard typically includes xe2x80x9cscroll keysxe2x80x9d to allow the user to move the position bar up, down, side-to-side, and page-to-page. Many applications also use a xe2x80x9ccursor,xe2x80x9d which is typically a slanted arrow, so that the user can activate functional icons and the like displayed on the screen. A xe2x80x9ctrack ballxe2x80x9d mechanism is typically provided to enable the user to move the cursor around on the screen. The track ball may be provided in a xe2x80x9cmousexe2x80x9d that is separate from the keyboard, or it may be provided on the keyboard itself.
Typically, the scroll keys, which usually include four keys (up arrow, down arrow, left arrow, and right arrow), are placed on the right side of the keyboard by themselves. Alternatively, the scroll keys may be placed as alternate functions for certain keys in a numerical keypad located on the right side of the keyboard. Thus, when a user desires to navigate using the scroll keys, the user""s right hand must leave the standard portion of the keyboard and move several inches to the right. While such a movement may not seem excessive or awkward, it is often enough to cause the user to move their right hand to an incorrect position, thus causing an undesired keystroke or position bar movement. If the user removes their attention from the screen to their hands to ensure that the correct scroll key is reached, this shift of attention hampers efficiency.
The track ball, on the other hand, is typically placed elsewhere on the keyboard. Most is commonly, the track ball is placed beneath the space bar. Therefore, when a user desires to navigate using the track ball, the track ball may be accessed by either thumb without requiring the user to remove either hand from the standard portion of the keyboard. Of course, if the track ball is placed farther from the standard portion of the keyboard, it too suffers from some of the drawbacks mentioned above.
The present invention may address one or more of the issues discussed above.
Certain aspects commensurate in scope with the originally disclosed embodiments are set forth below. It should be understood that these aspects are presented merely to provide the reader with a brief summary of certain forms the invention might take and that these aspects are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Indeed, the invention may encompass a variety of aspects that may not be set forth below.
In accordance with one aspect of the present technique, there is provided a combination of a track ball mechanism and a scroll mechanism that is located in a central portion of the keyboard, so that a user can access the track ball mechanism and the scroll mechanism with either hand without moving either hand from the standard portion of the keyboard.
According to another aspect of the present technique, there is provided a combination of a track ball mechanism and a scroll mechanism that is located directly above or beneath one of the user""s hands, so that a user can access the track ball mechanism and the scroll mechanism with one hand without moving either hand from the standard portion of the keyboard.
According to yet another aspect of the present technique, there is provided a combination of a track ball mechanism and a scroll mechanism where the track ball mechanism and the scroll mechanism essentially overlap or are integrated with one another.
According to still another aspect of the present technique, there is provided a combination of a track ball mechanism and a scroll mechanism where the track ball mechanism and the scroll mechanism are placed in close proximity to one another.